Ashes 2023, England, Leeds, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood England’s remarkable victory against Australia in the third Test of the Ashes 2023 at Headingley, Leeds marked a thrilling finish for the second time in four years. Harry Brook and Ben Stokes, two of England’s up-and-coming stars, held their nerves and played decisive knocks to help their team stay alive in the series.
Chasing a modest target of 224 on day four of the Test, England openers managed to get off to a promising start. However, Mitchell Starc’s lethal spell soon brought Australia back into the game as he dismissed Ben Duckett and Moeen Ali in quick succession. Things further looked grim for the hosts as Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow fell to Pat Cummins, giving Australia an edge.
Wood, Woakes steps up With four wickets down, the entire responsibility of taking England home fell on the shoulders of Brook and Stokes. The duo, initially, kept their cool and started building a partnership, but Starc returned to the attack to pick the big fish in Brook on 75. Fortunately, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, who hadn’t featured in a Test for England in a while, had other plans. The two held their nerves and saw the team through, completing the run chase with three wickets in hand. Wood’s five-for in the first innings earned him the Player of the Match award. The victory now keeps the Ashes 2023 scoreline at 2-1 in favour of Australia. The fourth Test begins on July 19 at Old Trafford in Manchester.